[citation needed] Composer and film-maker Mauricio Kagel made Ludwig van in 1969 after the work was commissioned by German broadcaster Westdeutscher Rundfunk for the bicentenary of Beethoven's birth in 1970.
The first part of the film is shot from the point of view of Beethoven, who walks around late 1960s Bonn, including paying a visit to his birthplace.
In fact, Kagel's own recording of the film score is based on extracts of Beethoven's works not present in the published version.
Beethoven was portrayed by Clifford David in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) as one of the historical figures kidnapped to fulfil a school history class assignment by the time travelling protagonists.
[citation needed] Gary Oldman portrayed Beethoven in the 1994 film Immortal Beloved, written and directed by Bernard Rose.
The story follows Beethoven's secretary and first biographer, Anton Schindler (played by Jeroen Krabbé), as he attempts to ascertain the true identity of the Unsterbliche Geliebte (Immortal Beloved) addressed in three letters found in the composer's private papers after his death.
Ian Hart was cast as Beethoven, while Jack Davenport played Prince Lobkowitz; the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner perform the Symphony in its entirety during the film.